This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by

the Superintendent of Documents.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

37669 

Vol. 86, No. 134 

Friday, July 16, 2021 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 1218 

[Document No. AMS–SC–21–0030] 

Blueberry Promotion, Research, and 

Information Order; Continuance 

Referendum 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service. 

ACTION: Notification of referendum. 

SUMMARY: This document directs that a 

referendum be conducted among 

eligible producers and importers of 

highbush blueberries to determine 

whether they favor continuance of the 

Agricultural Marketing Service’s 

regulations regarding a national 

highbush blueberry research and 

promotion program. 

DATES: This referendum will be 

conducted by express mail and 

electronic ballot from October 8, 2021, 

through October 22, 2021. To be eligible 

to vote, blueberry producers and 

importers must have produced or 

imported 2,000 pounds or more of 

highbush blueberries during the 

representative period of January 1 

through December 31, 2020, and must 

currently be producers or importers of 

highbush blueberries subject to 

assessment under the Blueberry 

Promotion, Research and Information 

Order (Order). Ballots delivered to AMS 

via express mail or email must show 

proof of delivery no later than 11:59 

p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 

October 22, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Blueberry 

Promotion, Research and Information 

Order (Order) may be obtained from: 

Referendum Agent, Promotion and 

Economics Division (PED), Specialty 

Crops Program (SCP), Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 

1406–S, Stop 0244, Washington, DC 

20250–0244, telephone: (202) 720–9915; 

or contact Jeanette Palmer at (202) 720– 

5976 or via electronic mail: 

Jeanette.Palmer@usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jeanette Palmer, Marketing Specialist, 

PED, SCP, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 1406– 

S, Stop 0244, Washington, DC 20250– 

0244; telephone: (202) 720–5976; or 

electronic mail: Jeanette.Palmer@

usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to the Commodity Promotion, Research 

and Information Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 

7411–7425) (Act), it is hereby directed 

that a referendum be conducted to 

ascertain whether continuance of the 

Order (7 CFR part 1218) is favored by 

eligible producers and importers of 

highbush blueberries. The Order is 

authorized under the Act. 

The period for establishing voter 

eligibility for the referendum shall be 

the period from January 1, 2020, 

through December 31, 2020. Persons 

who produced or imported 2,000 

pounds or more of highbush blueberries 

during the representative period, paid 

assessments during that period, and are 

currently highbush blueberry producers 

or importers subject to assessment 

under the Order are eligible to vote. 

Persons who received an exemption 

from assessments for the entire 

representative period are ineligible to 

vote. The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture will provide the option for 

electronic balloting. The referendum 

will be conducted by express mail and 

electronic ballot from October 8, 2021, 

through October 22, 2021. Further 

details will be provided in the ballot 

instructions. 

Section 518 of the Act authorizes 

continuance referenda. Under 

§ 1218.71(b) of the Order, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture must conduct 

a referendum every 5 years to determine 

whether persons subject to assessment 

favor continuance of the Order. The last 

referendum was held in 2016. USDA 

would continue the Order if 

continuance is favored by a majority of 

the producers and importers voting in 

the referendum, who also represent a 

majority of the volume of blueberries 

represented in the referendum. 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35), the referendum ballot has 

been approved by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) and 

assigned OMB No. 0581–0093. It has 

been estimated that there are 

approximately 1,547 producers and 271 

importers who will be eligible to vote in 

the referendum. It will take an average 

of 15 minutes for each voter to read the 

voting instructions and complete the 

referendum ballot. 

Referendum Order 

Jeanette Palmer, Marketing Specialist, 

and Heather Pichelman, Director, 

Promotion Economics Division, SCP, 

AMS, USDA, Stop 0244, Room 1406–S, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–0244, are 

designated as the referendum agents to 

conduct this referendum. The 

referendum procedures at 7 CFR 

1218.100 through 1218.107, which were 

issued pursuant to the Act, shall be used 

to conduct the referendum. 

The referendum agent will express 

mail or email the ballots to be cast in the 

referendum and voting instructions to 

all known, eligible highbush blueberry 

producers and importers prior to the 

first day of the voting period. Persons 

who produced or imported 2,000 more 

pounds of highbush blueberries during 

the representative period and are 

currently highbush blueberry producer 

or importers subject to assessment 

under the Order are eligible to vote. 

Persons who received an exemption 

from assessments during the entire 

representative period are ineligible to 

vote. Any eligible producer or importer 

who does not receive a ballot should 

contact the referendum agent no later 

than three days before the end of the 

voting period. Ballots delivered via 

express mail or email must show proof 

of delivery by no later than 11:59 p.m. 

EDT on October 22, 2021, to be counted. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1218 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Advertising, Blueberry 

promotion, Consumer information, 

Marketing agreements, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7411–7425; 7 U.S.C. 

7401. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2021–15160 Filed 7–15–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


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